» Mr. Cory J. O'Connor

Assistant Professor

Lawrence and Kristina Dodge College of Film and Media Arts

Office:

Smith 20C

Phone:

(714) 628-7357

Email:

oconnor@chapman.edu

Education

University of Southern California, Bachelor of Arts
Harvard University, Master of Business Administration in Marketing

Biography

Cory O'Connor loved his nine years at The Disney Channel "promoting a brand I absolutely believed in" through a perfect marriage of marketing and creativity.  As Senior Vice President of Synergy, Programming and Communications, O'Connor managed public relations, corporate synergistic activities, and on-air marketing and branding.

A graduate of the Harvard Business School where he studied marketing, O'Connor believes, as his father, a direct marketing pioneer with Carter Hawley Hale's Sunset House, used to tell him—the future is in marketing.  "The marketing plan drives a business," he says, "but it's creativity that animates the marketing plan."

Bringing his creative marketing instincts to entertainment, O'Connor has also worked for HBO, several Internet start-ups and the American Film Institute.  Along the way, he launched Disney's American Teacher Awards, set up a national literacy promotion for The Disney Channel's 10th anniversary, and much more.

With so many choices available in the marketplace today, reaching the consumer depends on breaking free of traditional marketing techniques.  "You have to be creative," he says.  "You have to look at what's been done, and, put your own twist on it—break the rules. And you should have fun. This is the entertainment business, after all."

Recent Creative, Scholarly Work and Publications

On June 29, citing my experience teaching in Singapore as a case study, I gave a presentation on the use of Social Media at the Orange County Register’s Santa Ana headquarters to an audience of 200 attending Orange County’s Third Social Media Day.

Since 2005 I have maintained the blog "Leprechaun Lexicon." In the summer of 2011 I relaunched it using a new host (Wordpress) and a new voice.

Since April 2009 I have used Twitter as a both a teaching tool as well as a platform to speak with students, colleagues, and other Social Media enthusiasts.

Since 2010 I have published relevant photographs about Chapman, PRA, NSAC, and Orange County in the Flickrstream called "Eye on OC."

Pro bono marketing consultancy with proprietor of Laughter Yoga, a non-profit dedicated to improving people's lives. Project consisted of weekly meetings, projects, assignments, and discussions.